唯冠科技（深圳）有限公司（Proview Technology（Shenzhen））不仅令苹果公司头疼，它对中国政府来说同样是个大麻烦。

    大家可能还记得，濒临破产的电子产品制造商唯冠公司成功地通过中国南方省份广东的一家地方法院要求禁售苹果产品iPad。唯冠公司声称，尽管苹果公司于2009年从唯冠国际控股公司（Proview International Holdings）收购了所谓的全球范围内的iPad商标权，但由于后者并不能代表深圳唯冠，所以此交易在中国大陆无效。

    据我所知，不仅仅是广东省政府，中国最高权力机构全国人民代表大会（the National People's Congress）也并未对这一省级法院的裁决做出评论。苹果公司依然在大批量生产iPad，其中很多恰恰是在广东省最大城市之一深圳生产的。三月底，中国质量认证中心（China's Quality Certification Center）为新iPad授予了强制认证（compulsory certification）。虽然存在地方性的禁售令，但该强制认证为苹果公司产品在中国大陆的销售扫清了道路。

    海南省和广东省之间就隔着一条狭窄的海峡。目前海南省政府的举动让事态进一步复杂化。海南省政府要求位于三亚的海鲜餐厅使用iPad点餐。三亚是海南的一个沿海度假城市，每年都能吸引几十万游客。今年春节期间三亚出现的宰客事件使得该地区备受民众抨击。当地政府期冀通过采用更易监控的iPad点餐来解决当地旅游业面临的困境。

    在琼州海峡这边禁用iPad，同时却又在这个海峡的另一边强制要求使用iPad。中国怎样才能自圆其说？

    恐怕不能。苹果公司对禁售令提起上诉的裁决期限是五月底，然而广东省高级人民法院上周表示，如果双方还在进行和解谈判，法院不会宣判。

    但据报道，谈判双方的分歧很大。而苹果公司作为中国最大规模的外国制造商之一并未表现出任何和解的意向。

    因此，现在唯冠公司成了所有人的眼中钉。

    译者：李玫晓/汪皓

    You have to wonder whether Proview Technology (Shenzhen) is as big a thorn in the Chinese government's side as it is in Apple's (AAPL).

    As you may recall, the nearly-bankrupt electronics manufacturer succeeded in getting a court in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong to ban the sale of iPads on the strength of Proview's claim that although Apple in 2009 purchased what it thought were the worldwide rights to the iPad trademark from Proview International Holdings, the deal was invalid on mainland China because Proview (Shenzhen) was not represented.

    As far as I know, the National People's Congress -- which governs all of China, not just Guangdong province -- has not commented on the provincial court's ruling. But Apple continues to manufacturer iPads by the millions, many of them in Shenzhen, one of Guangdong's largest cities. And in late March China's Quality Certification Center granted the new iPad compulsory certification, clearing it for release on the mainland despite the local ban.

    Now the government of Hainan, an island province just across a narrow strait from Guangdong, has further complicated matters. It is requiring seafood restaurants in Sanya, a coastal resort city that draws tourists by the tens of thousands, to take food orders on iPads. The region was rocked by a price gouging scandal after the most recent Chinese New Year holiday, and the more-easily monitored iPads are part of the local government's solution to the problem.

    How can China ban iPads on one side of the Qiongzhou Strait and require their use on the other?

    It probably can't. Although a ruling on Apple's appeal of the original ban was due at the end of May, the Higher People's Court of Guangdong said last week that it won't issue one as long as the two sides are engaged in settlement talks.

    But the two sides are reported to be far apart, and Apple -- one of China's largest foreign manufacturers -- shows no inclination to settle.

    Which makes Proview a thorn in everybody's side.

    Below the fold: For readers haven't been to Hainan recently, I've added a 2005 photo of Sanya Bay (via Wikipedia).